We Are KING

Comprising twin sisters Amber and Paris Strother alongside Anita Bias, the alternative R&B outfit King functions as a self-reliant trio. Attention arrived swiftly on March 1, 2011, when they dropped a three-song digital EP, helmed by Paris’s production, whose sound suggested alternate takes on tracks that might have emerged from Stevie Wonder’s backing ensemble Wonderlove. By month’s end, the clip for the EP’s “The Story” had drawn nearly 40,000 views, aided by endorsements from Erykah Badu and the Roots’ Questlove. Subsequent material surfaced sparingly rather than in a sudden rush: 2013 yielded only the lone track “In the Meantime,” plus a placement on the Red Hot + Fela compilation via “Go Slow,” while 2014 brought the single-track release “Mister Chameleon.” During those same years the members lent vocals to Robert Glasper’s “Move Love,” the Foreign Exchange’s “All the Kisses,” and Eric Roberson’s “Just Imagine.” Their first full-length effort, We Are King, arrived independently in February 2016 and received a Grammy nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album.